Our Living World is an ambitious Netflix documentary series that aims to depict the interconnected nature of life on planet Earth, and it's now available to stream.
Created by Wild Space and Freeborne Media (the Emmy-winning team behind Our Great National Parks), Our Living World will show the web of creatures and ecosystems that sustain our planet — and how they are under threat from human activity.
The four-part series features eye-popping, cinematic wildlife footage from around the world and combines it with illustrative digital effects to put us in the center of the story, witnessing how animals and their habitats mold and shape one another. And if that wasn't enough; the story's being told by Cate Blanchett!
Here's what you need to know about Our Living World right now.
Our Living World release date
Our Living World is now available to stream exclusively on Netflix. The series debuted on Wednesday, April 17.
If you've already streamed the series and want some more top recommendations to help you get your factual fix, check out our round-ups of the best Netflix documentaries and the best true-crime documentaries on Netflix available.
If you're in the market for more great content, don't forget to read our list of the best Netflix shows we think you should be streaming right now.
Who narrates Our Living World?
Netflix is no stranger to having huge stars on hand for their nature docs. In 2023, Morgan Freeman lent his voice to Life On Our Planet, and the Our Living World team has enlisted another huge star to tell this new story.
Oscar and BAFTA Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett is on board to narrate the four-part series and guide us through this latest journey throughout the natural world.
Talking about Blanchett's involvement in the series with Netflix, Our Living World executive producer James Honeyborne said: "She is a beekeeper, so she has such a natural affinity for the subject and knows a lot about ecology. We found it very natural for her to speak with authority on the subject."
What is Our Living World about?
Our Living World charts the power of Earth's most powerful force: life itself, and how the power of life shapes the world around us. The docuseries will combine cinematic photography of habitats and creatures throughout the natural world with stunning digital effects to illustrate scientific phenomena and tell this incredible story before our very eyes.
Netflix's full summary for Our Living World reads: "This is the wondrous, untold story of the most magical, powerful force on Earth: life itself, and how it shapes the world through incredible physical connections and astonishing webs, producing a planetary life support system that sustains and protects us all.
"Spanning continents and oceans, fueled by wind and water and fire, this network allows the densest forests to impact the coldest glaciers, and the deepest oceans to feed the hottest deserts. But with Earth now changing at unprecedented speeds due to human activity, our living world’s network is malfunctioning – and it will take all creatures, great and small, to return its balance.
"From the kooky capybara to the crafty crocodile, the savvy wolverine to the busy beaver, the mightiest tree in the forest to the tiniest egg in a salmon’s spawning pool, every creature plays a role – and even when we disrupt their vital connections, they fight on.
"Packed with engaging action sequences, fascinating facts, and charismatic characters, this revelatory series comes not a moment too soon… because at the precipice of a climate crisis, the more we understand about the ties that bind our living world together, the better chance we have of ensuring its survival."
Is there an Our Living World trailer?
Yes! An Our Living World trailer arrived on Monday, March 18, and it gives us a glimpse of some of the stunning footage you can look forward to watching from throughout the natural world in this new series. Check it out below:
